


Safe Haven

by csi_sanders1129



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Community: cottoncandy_bingo, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 13:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2112036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csi_sanders1129/pseuds/csi_sanders1129
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Aurora and Phillip's daughter finds herself lost in the Moors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe Haven

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to cottoncandy_bingo prompt: grandparents & grandchildren. This is just a quick little cute thing. First try for Maleficent fic. I haven't written anything that wasn't slash in literally years. I can't even remember what the last non-slash thing I wrote was... Characters are not mine, please enjoy! Comments are awesome.

The little girl is lost in the woods, surrounded by long, twisty branches and sharp stones that hurt her bare feet. She knows this place, knows it near as well as the castle she's grown up in, but it's dark and the moon is barely a sliver in the sky above and she's taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"Grandmother, grandmother!" She calls out, as she races through the winding paths of the forest.

A shape melts out of the trees, but it is not her grandmother.

"Artemis," the shadow says, moving into what little light the moon allows. It's Diaval, as much her grandfather as Maleficent is her grandmother (for the girl is only six and knows not of the past between them and her mother, just that Queen Aurora calls the Moors her home and these people her family, so she does the same) and so she is not scared, but rushes toward him instead. "Artemis," he repeats, scooping her up into his arms, "what are you doing out here? We thought you were sound asleep."

"I had a bad dream," she says, "A-and you and Grandmother weren't there, so I came to look for you. I was scared..."

"There's nothing for you to be scared of here, my princess," Diaval tells her, "but come, I'll take you back to the ponds, your Grandmother is there."

"C-can you show me the way back, so I won't get lost again?"

With a smile, he sets her down again. She must still looks scared because he transforms into a big, fluffy dog, her favorite of his many forms (much to his dismay), for her to walk beside.

She clutches tightly to Diaval's feather-fur as they walk through the dark forests. He knows the way by heart and can navigate through the maze of trees with his eyes closed. He does that now, to make her laugh, as he narrowly avoids stumbling into trees for her amusement and slowly the rough stone under her feet becomes soft moss and the branches interrupt the path less and less and soon she can hear the trickle of water from the streams that run through the heart of the moors.

"Grandmother!" She calls again, when she spots the fairy up in her usual tree.

"Hello, Beastie," Maleficent says, gliding down to meet them as they approach. "You've been crying. Whatever is the matter?"

"Nothing now, Grandmother," Artemis answers, "I was lost, but Diaval found me."

Maleficent smiles as her faithful friend shifts back to human form once again. "He's always been good at that," she says. "Come, my dear, you must be exhausted and your mother will not be happy if she discovers I've let you stay up all night. Here, would you like to sleep with me?"

"Yes, please!"

"Very well," Maleficent laughs, and takes the girls hand to fly her up to the nest in the trees.

"There will be no bad dreams up there," Diaval assures the little girl as the two of them settle. He joins them, too, now in crow form, perching on one of the edges of the moss-lined bed in the oldest, strongest limbs of the ancient tree.

Safe in her grandmother's arms, the little girl is already falling back into a sound sleep. "Promise?" she asks, voice so quiet it barely carries on the light breeze.

"I promise," Maleficent answers, and Diaval gives a quiet 'caw' of agreement as he, too, settles in to sleep. "No harm should ever come to you here, not even in your dreams, so long as you're with me."


End file.
